Conservative Blacks to Offer Commentary, Analysis on George Zimmerman Case

Project 21 Members to Speak on Proceedings in Trial Examining Death of Trayvon Martin

Washington, D.C. - With opening arguments beginning today in the trial of George Zimmerman, the man charged with second-degree murder in the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, the Project 21 black leadership network is announcing that members of the organization will be providing regular commentary and analysis of the trial throughout its proceedings.

With this very high-profile case finally being heard in a court of law, Project 21 members are hoping that media coverage will be balanced and all perspectives will be considered and given due consideration in reporting and analyzing the trial.

"In the American legal system, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Neither his nor her race, ethnicity or income status weighs in the balance," noted Project 21 Co-Chairman Horace Cooper, a former professor of constitutional law and congressional leadership staff member. "The rush to judgment in the Zimmerman case by the media and race-based interest groups has been unfair to Mr. Zimmerman and to the justice system. Hopefully, as this trial begins, the provocative rhetoric will cease to be showcased and the media will instead seek out explanatory voices that document the actual events of the incident rather than those explosive voices that simply inflame."

Project 21 was formed in 1992 after the riots in Los Angeles and elsewhere following the verdict in trial of the police officers accused of unlawfully beating Rodney King revealed a need to highlight the diversity of opinion within the black community. For over 20 years, the volunteer members of the Project 21 black leadership network have provided conservative and free-market perspectives that, until that time, were largely unknown or ignored by the establishment media.

During the course of the Zimmerman trial, which is being heard in Seminole County Circuit Court (Florida), Project 21 members will provide commentary and be available for interviews about the case and the issues surrounding it. Project 21 will issue regular press releases featuring quotes from its members on the breaking news about the trial and any controversies surrounding it.

In its entirety, the case of State of Florida v. George Zimmerman is expected to last at least a month.

"The fundamental question that will be answered in the George Zimmerman trial is this: Does a defendant still have the right to defend their own life - with deadly force if necessary - even if that defendants own actions resulted in the initial physical encounter?" added Project 21 member Christopher Arps. "I pray the media, supporters of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman and especially the jury remember this fundamental question during the course of this racially-charged trial."

Project 21, a leading voice of black conservatives for nearly two decades, is sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research (http://www.nationalcenter.org).